Portrait of a male author with glasses standing against a concrete wall, wearing a green shirt and jacket.

Edward C.

Houtouwan: The Chinese Fishing Village Swallowed by the Sea of Green

A fishing village 64 km from Shanghai held 2,000 people in the 1980s. By 2002 it was empty. Then the vines arrived, and sealed every window, roof, and door shut.

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Houtouwan: The Chinese Fishing Village Swallowed by the Sea of Green

Asia

Discover the hidden history of the East. From the killing fields of Cambodia to the neon-lit shadows of Tokyo, we document the region's ancient ruins and the modern scars of war.

Vozrozhdeniya Island (Aralsk-7): The Soviet Union's Secret Bioweapons Lab

Vozrozhdeniya Island (Aralsk-7): The Soviet Union's Secret Bioweapons Lab

Discover Aralsk-7, the secret Soviet lab that tested anthrax, plague, and smallpox on a vanishing Aral Sea island.

Portrait of a female author standing against a brick wall, wearing a green jacket and grey shirt.

The Lost Tomb of Genghis Khan: History’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery

Read about the mystery of the Ikh Khorig in Mongolia's Khentii Mountains, the forbidden zone protecting the lost tomb of Genghis Khan and the secrets of the Great Taboo.

Portrait of a female author smiling in warm evening light on a city street.

Abbottabad: Inside the Fortress That Hid the World’s Most Wanted Man

Explore the definitive record of the Abbottabad compound. From the Black Hawk crash to the "Waziristan Mansion," discover why bin Laden hid in plain sight.

Edward C.

Masyaf Castle: The Fortress of Assassins in the Syrian Mountains

Ruins of Civilizations

Masyaf Castle: The Fortress of Assassins in the Syrian Mountains

Explore Masyaf Castle, the impregnable Syrian headquarters of the Assassins. A deep dive into Rashid al-Din Sinan, the "Old Man of the Mountain," and his war with Saladin.

Clara M.

Alamut Castle: The Eagle’s Nest of the Assassins and the Birth of Political Terror

Ruins of Civilizations

Alamut Castle: The Eagle’s Nest of the Assassins and the Birth of Political Terror

Discover the true history of Alamut Castle, the "Eagle's Nest" of the Assassins. Explore the myths of the Hashashin, the Mongol destruction, and the reality of the site today.

Fukuoka’s Underworld: The Last Stronghold of Japan’s Ruthless Yakuza

An investigative record of Fukuoka’s Kudo-kai: The "specially dangerous" Yakuza syndicate that used rocket launchers and grenades to wage war on the Japanese state. Read the gritty chronicle of the war between the city of Fukuoka and the Kudo-kai.

Namba and Minami: The Neon Labyrinth of the Yakuza’s Fading Empire

Explore the rise and fall of the Yakuza in Namba and Minami. A deep dive into the history, the 2011 exclusion laws, and the disappearing neon underworld of Osaka.

Edward C.

Choeung Ek: The History and Memorial of Cambodia’s Killing Fields

Tragedies & Disasters

Choeung Ek: The History and Memorial of Cambodia’s Killing Fields

Choeung Ek stands as the final site of erasure for 17,000 victims of the Khmer Rouge. From the 8,000 skulls in the Memorial Stupa to the soil that still reveals bone, explore the raw, documented history of Cambodia's most notorious Killing Field.

Edward C.

Tuol Sleng: The High School of S-21 and the Bureaucracy of Disappearance

Tragedies & Disasters

Tuol Sleng: The High School of S-21 and the Bureaucracy of Disappearance

Discover how a Phnom Penh high school became S-21, the Khmer Rouge’s most notorious torture center. A deep dive into the architecture and bureaucracy of genocide.

Edward C.

Babylon: The Ancient Wonder and Its Crumbling Legacy

Ruins of Civilizations

Babylon: The Ancient Wonder and Its Crumbling Legacy

Explore the legendary city of Babylon, once the heart of the Babylonian Empire and home to the Hanging Gardens and the Ishtar Gate. Discover its rise under Nebuchadnezzar II, its fall to Alexander the Great, and the modern threats of war, looting, and environmental decay.

Clara M.

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Massacre of World War II

Tragedies & Disasters

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Massacre of World War II

Explore the horrors of the Rape of Nanking, one of the most brutal massacres of World War II, where the Imperial Japanese Army committed atrocities against hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians.

Sophia R.

Montevideo Maru: Australia’s Worst Maritime Disaster

Tragedies & Disasters

Montevideo Maru: Australia’s Worst Maritime Disaster

Discover the forgotten tragedy of the Montevideo Maru, the Japanese transport ship sunk in 1942, claiming over 1,000 Australian POWs and civilians—the worst maritime disaster in Australia’s history.

Edward C.

Houtouwan: The Chinese Fishing Village Swallowed by the Sea of Green

Asia

Vozrozhdeniya Island (Aralsk-7): The Soviet Union's Secret Bioweapons Lab

The Lost Tomb of Genghis Khan: History’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery

Abbottabad: Inside the Fortress That Hid the World’s Most Wanted Man

Masyaf Castle: The Fortress of Assassins in the Syrian Mountains

Alamut Castle: The Eagle’s Nest of the Assassins and the Birth of Political Terror

Fukuoka’s Underworld: The Last Stronghold of Japan’s Ruthless Yakuza

Namba and Minami: The Neon Labyrinth of the Yakuza’s Fading Empire

Choeung Ek: The History and Memorial of Cambodia’s Killing Fields

Tuol Sleng: The High School of S-21 and the Bureaucracy of Disappearance

Babylon: The Ancient Wonder and Its Crumbling Legacy

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Massacre of World War II

Montevideo Maru: Australia’s Worst Maritime Disaster

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